


Dependent

by Rellanka



Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [80]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dark, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Unhappy Ending, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25351534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: A bit of canon divergence occurring at the very end of Crisis Core.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [80]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697269
Comments: 3
Kudos: 96





	Dependent

**Author's Note:**

> This is playing a bit with the canon of what being mako addicted entails, especially because the term implies very interesting things. Warning: this contains a very dark and not nice Sephiroth and has reference to canonical character death. (Based more on his Remake version, because he is already using his other puppets to physically get around at this point.) Also reference to past requited Zack/Cloud. I think this whole fic is my mind going 'how can I make the end of Crisis Core **even worse** ' and this is what we all got. Thanks a lot, mind.

Cloud struggled, with everything he was, to break free of the haze he was trapped in. He couldn’t see much, couldn’t sense much, but he knew, somehow, that if he didn’t break free now, then he would never see Zack again. 

But even with all of his will working towards standing up and going with Zack, all he could managed to do was raise one single hand beseechingly after him. One that fell limp back to his side after Zack was finally gone from sight. 

The gunfire started a little after Zack disappeared. It was loud, so loud. Loud like thunderclaps. Loud like a world’s ending. 

Was Zack… was Zack okay? He was so strong, maybe he would manage to survive this. He’d beaten impossible odds before, hadn’t he? He was… he was incredible. And when he came back to get Cloud, Cloud would be better, he would be able to help Zack for once instead of only being a burden to the man that constantly helped him. He would… he would do anything to let Zack know how grateful he was, to have someone like Zack for a friend. 

Cloud hadn’t managed to move any further when a squad of smirking troopers came upon him. 

“Should we take care of this one, too, Sarge?” One of the trooper’s asked a rotund man whose uniform carried a Sergeants stripes.

“Nah,” The Sergeant finally said after a moment’s consideration, “Pitiful thing like that’ll die all on its own within the day’s end. Waste of bullets to put it down right now. We already wasted enough on that traitor Soldier.” 

“Yes, sir!” The troops sounded off their agreement, and then they all walked away without a second glance back. 

If they had looked back, they would have noticed that Cloud’s eyes weren’t dazedly staring into the distance anymore but instead were focused square on their backs, a vehement hatred burning bright and strong within their depths. 

***

Cloud didn’t know how much longer it was before Sephiroth came. 

It felt like a few minutes. 

It felt like an eternity. 

Whichever of the two it was, Sephiroth was there all the same, suddenly appearing from the desert like a mirage straight out of Cloud’s nightmares. 

“Poor, poor little puppet.” Sephiroth purred as he crouched down in front of Cloud with flawless grace, “Has your caretaker truly abandoned you so cruelly? What an _awful_ thing for him to do.”

Cloud wanted nothing more than to be able to move, be able to attack Sephiroth somehow, useless as such an attempt would be in the state he was in. He wanted it as badly as he’d wanted to attack the squad of Shinra **monsters** that had just walked away. He wanted it nearly as badly as he’d wanted to go with Zack as he walked away. 

Sephiroth’s eyes gleamed in wicked amusement as they gazed into Cloud’s own, the amusement only deeper as the man easily read the hatred in his eyes. 

“Strings still cut, Cloud? But however will you be entertaining if you’re unable to dance for your audience’s amusement?” Sephiroth said with false concern, and he stroked Cloud’s hair in pretend sympathy for a moment, his eyes tracking every flicker of enraged anger in Cloud’s gaze. 

“But you shouldn’t worry too much. I am a benevolent God, as it so happens,” Sephiroth continued finally, “and,” Sephiroth lowered his face until Cloud could feel the movement of Sephiroth’s lips as he talked against Cloud’s own, “I can give you life.” And as the sky cracked open and rain started pouring down, Sephiroth pressed his lips firmly against Cloud’s, his tongue pressing insistently into Cloud’s mouth. 

Cloud couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t fight it. Not physically. Not at first, at least. But as the kiss continued, hot and wet and deep, Cloud noticed that his body started tingling. And then it started twitching, muscles long gone atrophied starting to come back to life. And finally he had enough strength that he was able to raise his arms and push Sephiroth away. 

He was able to move his arms. 

As soon as he realized what his mobility meant, he was diving Sephiroth’s way, ready to try to do something, anything, to hurt the man, to kill him. For good this time.

Sephiroth laughed, openly, as he easily dodged Cloud’s attempted attack, then walked closer until he was standing over him once more as Cloud panted exhaustion into the dirt. “Feeling lively, Cloud? But don’t you understand? I’ve given you that strength which you now bare. Without me, you would still be but an abandoned puppet, lying helpless and abandoned, all alone.” 

“You didn’t-“ Cloud snarled weakly.

“I did. Cloud, do you still not realize? But then, I suppose you’ve not been important enough to be told, before now. Very well, I suppose I can act as a teacher to your student. It’s a fitting role for us, after all.” Sephiroth said with his usual enjoyment of his own superiority, “When massive amounts of mako are introduced into an unenhanced person’s system with no prior exposure, their body enters a state of addiction and becomes utterly useless when removed from their source- **unless** they have reached a state of enhancement that negates the effect. Had you been given time to complete your enhancements while still within your tube, perhaps you would have hatched a butterfly. But you are still in your lava state, and helpless without your drugged chrysalis. Unless,” Sephiroth’s eyes were dancing at the horror written clearly across Cloud’s face, “Your body is given just a bit of that mako that it is so dependent on. Then it will regain its ability to function, for a time. Heavily advanced Soldier’s saliva contains traces of the mako that their bodies are so packed with, Cloud, did you know? Mine especially. And with it, I give you life.” 

Cloud shook his head in helpless denial. No, this couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. Sephiroth hadn’t just helped him regain control of his body again. If there was a cure that was so simple, surely Zack would have…

Sephiroth must have read something in his eyes, (had he? Or was the pressure in Cloud’s head?...) for the man turned his gaze to the side, gazing off to an opening in the rock before turning back to Cloud, “Zackary was unaware of this, I imagine, or else he would have used this method himself. …Or perhaps, he wouldn’t have. Perhaps the idea of kissing you was simply so abhorrent that he never even thought of trying it. After all, it would have obligated him to continue giving you doses as necessary.” 

Zack finding the idea of kissing Cloud abhorrent? Hah, the joke was on Sephiroth. Before the journey to Nibelheim, hell, even during their time in Nibelheim (before Sephiroth had decided that going batshit insane was a great idea), Zack had enjoyed kissing him _plenty_. Had enjoyed doing **far more** than just **kissing him.** But for Zack… consent was vitally important. He would never force himself on someone who wasn’t able to tell him ‘No.’ 

Cloud forced some select memories of these times to the forefront, forced the knowledge of how much better Zack was than Sephiroth, who casually took without asking, to press back against the invading, heavy presence lingering in the back of his skull. He had a sneaking suspicion as to what that pressure was.

Sephiroth’s eyes darkened tellingly and proved all of Cloud suspicions right. 

“Zackary is lucky he’s dying as easily as he is.” The man said flatly, and Cloud abruptly didn’t feel triumphant anymore. Didn’t feel anything other than like Sephiroth had just wretched out his beating heart. It felt as if the reminder that Zack was somewhere close by, hurting and alone and maybe even dying had finally hit him, as though the haze in his head had been holding the knowledge back until this very moment. 

“No!” Was all Cloud could say, all he could repeat, in his head and out loud. No, no, no, **no, no, NO!**

Sephiroth gazed down at Cloud coolly while he shuddered and quaked in emotional agony, and there was a darker sort of possession in his gaze now.

“Oh, don’t worry so much over the loss of your precious caretaker, little puppet. I hold your strings now. And I will be a far kinder master than Zack ever was.” Sephiroth smiled at Cloud with an expression that didn’t even bother to pretended to be kind, “After all, I promise: I will **never** leave you. Not truly.” 

Zack would never have left him. Not if he had a choice. He **promised** he’d never leave!

Sephiroth crouched down and cupped the back of Cloud’s head firmly in one large hand, his greater strength holding him still easily, despite how Cloud tried to jerk free. “But I shall be kind, and let you go say goodbye to your old master, my puppet. One last time.” 

Sephiroth drew him into another deep kiss, one that Cloud went along with only out of the sheer desperation for _any_ chance of getting to see Zack again. 

And then, feeling stronger than he had been even minutes ago, Cloud pulled away from Sephiroth with a gasp and rolled to his stomach to start crawling his way to where Zack was.


End file.
